Moon lit rendezvous
by KuramasGal99
Summary: One shot(s): After the devastating destruction that Pein brought upon the hidden leaf Naruto learns that he has been betrothed to Hinata per request of her father. An arrangement that, ironically enough, has nothing to do with her confession to him, and with Akatsuki still after him their betrothal is currently an S ranked village secret. Rated for language. Shippuden NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you enjoy the story! This is a side piece to a Naruto/Bleach crossover that I am working on. While the chapter(s) to this will not have any bleach characters in it, it does help set up and develop the relationship between Naruto and Hinata for the crossover. This takes place between the pro log and chapter 1 (Post Pein attack) time wise of the crossover as well if anyone is curious. I will start posting the crossover sooner rather than later, I am just working out a few kinks in the little bit I have written so far. Thanks for reading! Now for some NaruHina!

Chapter 1

Naruto stretched his work tired muscles. It had been a long morning helping to rebuild the village. He was glad for the work though, It had kept his mind off of the nightmares that have been plaguing him, but also from his meeting that morning with Baa-chan and Hinata's father. Now that it was mid-day and time for a break, that morning's conversation rushed back to him.

" _I wish for you to marry Hinata Naruto-san."_

Naruto sighed, scratching at the back of his head as he headed off to find some lunch, his thoughts racing. Here he was, the newly named hero of the village, wandering around dazed and a bit confused. Hinata's father wished for him to marry his daughter, the same young woman who was the unfortunate star in his most recent nightmares. Not because she did anything wrong, or that he thought she was scary or something. No, it was because of her incredibly brave choice to try and save him and her near death. The way Pain had cut her down like she wasn't more than an unimportant insect that was buzzing around him was the reason for the dreams. She was so determined, something he had never seen in the shy, quiet kunoichi, and so brave, but still had stood no chance against him.

He feared that the image of her lifeless body bleeding on the ground would be forever burned into his mind. Always there to remind him of how weak he still was, and to take a page out of the Kyubi's book, how pathetic. And now, by some strange twist of fate, he was betrothed to her at her father's request. And to top it all off, he wasn't allowed to talk about it with anyone. Baa-chan had insisted that it was for her safety, so that the Akatsuki wouldn't target her to get to him. ' _I wonder if she even knows yet._ ' He thought as he walked along through the construction site.

He heard a whistling sound seconds before a kunai embedded itself in the dirt just in front of him. It had a message tied to it. Quickly picking up the kunai, he untied the note and read it.

 _Meet me at the edge of training ground three at sunset. There is much to be discussed._

Naruto's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. ' _What's there to be discussed?_ ' He thought. Looking up into the direction that the kunai had come from, he saw a figure standing in the shadows. The figure, seeing Naruto looking his way stepped into the sunlight briefly, revealing him to be none other than Neji, Hinata's cousin. He gave a slight nod of his head to acknowledge that he was the sender of the message. Naruto stared for a moment before returning the gesture, indicating he received and understood the message. With that, Neji quickly disappeared from view.

Naruto sighed again as he pocketed the note and kunai as he once again continued back from the construction site in search of food. He decided that Shikamaru might really be onto something at that moment because all he could think about was how 'troublesome' his day was turning out to be.

Naruto trudged through the edge of the village, moving at a fairly slow pace towards training ground three. The sun was sinking below the western horizon and a waxing moon was rising to the east. It promised to be a fairly dark night, with the exception of the slowly strengthening moonlight.

Naruto sighed. He had spent all afternoon worrying about what Neji might have to stay to him. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that it didn't have anything to do with his recent betrothal. Oh no, he _knew_ it had to be about that. Why else would Neji want to talk to him out here with no one around?

As Naruto arrived at the meeting place, he looked around for the young Hyuga. Spying someone standing in the tree line, their back against a large oak, he moved forward until he was standing only a couple of feet from him. "Hey Neji, you wanted to talk?" He said with a growing lump in his throat as he observed Neji as he looked at him, his byakugan active.

Neji looked at Naruto, quietly scanning the area before returning the greeting. "Hello Naruto. I am glad to see you were not followed, there is much to be discussed this evening." He said, relaxing his stance and deactivating his Byakugan.

"Hehe, yeah… so what do you want to talk about?" Naruto asked nervously causing Neji to glare at him for a minute before letting out a sigh.

"You know very well what needs to be discussed Naruto. Hiashi-sama has informed me of the betrothal, with Hokage-sama's permission of course." He said, cutting off any retorts from the blonde shinobi. "Hiashi-sama believed it would be wise to inform a select few in the clan of the betrothal for Hinata-sama's safety. He chose me to act a messenger and chaperone for you and Hinata-sama so that the two of you can communicate with each other safely."

"Chaperone?! Whoa, I'm not… I mean I would never…" Naruto began all flustered, placing his hands in front of himself as he took a step back.

"Relax Naruto, no one is saying you would try anything… _inappropriate_." Neji said, interrupting the blonde. "My duty is more to ensure you and Hinata-sama have some privacy, so the two of you may talk freely to each other. When in the village, or on a mission you're both expected to act like nothing has changed of course."

"Oh." Naruto replied. After a moment to digest that little tidbit of information he continued. "So, ah…,, does….. does she know?" He asked hesitantly. Not quite sure what answer he was hoping for.

A small grin appeared on Neji's face at the question. "Yes, she has been made aware. Infact, Hinata-sama is waiting to talk to you." He said, indicating the slightly more dense thicket of trees that they were standing by. "Do not worry though, you are well within the range of my Byakugan. No one will be able to approach without my knowledge." He said, reactivating his kekkei genkai and leaning back against the tree.

Naruto eyed the thicket warily causing Neji to chuckle. "What is wrong Naruto, you're not scared of Hinata-sama all of a sudden are you?" He asked, a slight teasing tone evident in his voice.

"No, it's not that." He replied, attention returning to the Hyuga next to him. "What do you think of all this Neji?"

"What do I think? Well…. I think this could be a very good thing for the two of you." Neji replied. "I cannot think of anyone I would rather see my cousin with, and the same goes for you. Now, get going. She has been a nervous wreck all afternoon. The two of you need to talk." He said, dismissing the blonde shinobi as he leapt up into the tree to keep watch.

Naruto gulped nervously before a small, unsure grin formed on his face. ' _At least I'm not the only one that is nervous._ ' He thought as he stepped into the trees, within seconds he was lost from sight from all but Neji.

It only took him a minute to find her in the thick undergrowth. She was leaning against a large tree on the far side of a small clearing in the undergrowth, her eyes were closed and she had her hands clasped at her chest. She looked deceptively calm, but on closer inspection, even Naruto could pick up the slight trembling that she was desperately trying to control. ' _Neji was right, she is a nervous wreck._ ' He thought, his own nervousness intensifying.

Hinata could feel his presence approaching through the trees. There was always something about Naruto that drew her attention. Whether it was his silly jokes, his bright smile or his determination, he always had drawn her eyes to him. She kept her breathing steady with her eyes closed as she fought to keep herself as calm as possible. Her body trembled with nervousness. Was he as nervous as she was? Was he upset with the arrangement? So many questions danced through her head. She had been shocked when her father had told her earlier that day. While she was nervous, part of her was happy at the thought of being betrothed to Naruto. Which, ironically enough, made her nerves worse as she was unsure of his reaction.

Naruto stopped a few paces away, nervously shifting his weight slightly from foot to foot. "H-hey." He said, his voice sounding nervous and unsure even to his own ears. He watched as she took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at him. Her eyes shown with nervousness. Unasked questions seemed to dance around in their depths like fish in a pond. He gave her a smile, hoping that it might help her calm down.

Seeing his smile, Hinata gave him a small smile in return, her cheeks heating up under his gaze. "H-hello Na-Naruto-kun." She said shyly. They stood there, and awkward silence enveloping them.

"So… how have you been?" He asked lamely trying to break the tension between them.

"I-I have been well. H-How about you?" She asked in return, watching the blonde shinobi in front of her.

"I'm alright." He said. Silence enveloped them again as they searched for what to say next. Naruto was the first to find his voice as he continued. "So… your dad told you then?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Y-yes he did." She replied, her voice quiet in the stillness of the woods. "A-are you ok with it Na-Naruto-kun?" She asked, her nervousness intensifying with the question that had be dominating her thoughts all afternoon.

Naruto watched her for a moment. Had her trembling intensified, or was it just a figment of his imagination? He wasn't sure, but her eyes shown with nervousness, doubts and a vulnerability that he was not used to seeing. He could feel the lump start to reform in his throat. How was she going to react? Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he decided to go with the band aid approach. Best to just say it and be done with it, even if it might sting a bit. "Well, I am a bit confused but…. I am alright with it." He said. He felt relief wash over him as he watched her visibly relax, her nervous trembling, unusual even for her, subside and a small smile graced her face. "How about you? Are you ok with it?" He asked.

"Y-yes I am." She replied, her voice returning to the quiet, almost melodic tone that he was used to hearing. "I-I am glad that you are ok with the betrothal Na-Naruto-kun." She continued shyly. "I k-know it can be a bit much to take in, but I h-had hoped that father hadn't upset you with it."

Naruto grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Nah, your dad was cool. He's a bit intimidating thought." He said with a chuckle. "Baa-chan was the one that was being pushy. Said if I ever want to be Hokage I need to learn to make tough decisions quickly." His smile faltered a bit as he searched for what to say next. After a few moments he decided on a more general topic. "So, how are the injuries you got from the fight? I know I should have asked sooner but…" He trailed off, feeling ashamed for actually forgetting about seeing to her health. It made him feel very stupid to have forgotten something so important.

"I-I am doing well. Besides being a bit s-stiff and sore I am almost fully healed. Shizune-san check on me yesterday morning, she says I can return to duty in a few more days." She replied, blushing a bit at the personal question. "H-how about you?" She asked.

"I'm fine, all I needed was a hot meal and a good sleep!" He said, his smile returning full force, seeming to light up the darkening woods. "Well, I guess you know why I heal so fast now though don't you?" He said, deciding to look up at the sky through the tree branches. He barely noticed that the stars were starting to come out as the last glow of sunset started to fade away. This had been weighing on his mind as well today. A part of him was still worried about how she might react to him being a Jinchuriki. He was confident that if they had been just friends that she would be fine with it, she was the nicest kunoichi he knew after all. But their situation was now different. They were betrothed, they would marry soon and have a family together someday. He was not so foolish to think that his status as a Jinchuriki wouldn't cause problems.

Hinata watched him for a moment, even with the coming darkness she could see the change in his body language. As he looked towards the sky, his stance had gone from fairly relaxed to stiff and on edge, like he was ready for an attack. The look on his upturned face spoke volumes to her, his bright confident smile had slipped. She was sure if she could see his eyes, they would be guarded, not shining with his usual confidence or mischief. She pulled herself away from the tree and moved forward. Her training allowed her to move the few paces to his side without making so much as a sound. Nervously, she placed her hand on his arm, feeling the strong muscles underneath. Her gently touch brought his attention back down to her. His eyes were guarded and wary, like a those of a wild creature ready to flee at the first sign of danger. She studied those eyes for a moment before allowing a small, gentle smile to grace her lips. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze, hoping to give him some comfort. "Na-Naruto-kun, it's ok." She said, watching his eyes closely. "I do not fear you, nor have I ever. Y-you have always been and always will be nothing more than just you. You are Naruto Uzumaki. S-someone who is precious to me, someone who is strong and caring and someone I know I can trust with anything, even my life." She said, lowering her eyes as her shyness overcame her once again. Her face flamed brightly as she turned her face away, but she forced herself to continue. "I-I know there will be things that will come up, but you d-don't have to face them alone anymore. We can face them together."

All he could do was stare at her. He watched the weak, dappled moonlight dance across her as he took in her words. He didn't know how to respond. After a moment he realized that she had done it again. She had somehow known just what to say to make him feel better, and she said it with such conviction, such open honesty that he could do nothing but believe her. He sucked in a deep breath before he tried to talk. "Hinata…." He breathed, his voice barely audible. He felt the lump reform in his throat so he did the only thing he could do. Quick as lightning he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him causing her to let out a squeak of surprise. "Thank you." He whispered as he buried his face in her hair and breathed in her soft scent.

Hinata stood there frozen with her face in his shoulder and his breath tickling her ear. She breathed in his scent, a mixture of sweat and the smell of wood from the construction he had been doing all day and relaxed. She had not been expecting the show of affection from Naruto, but it made her happy to know that her words had reached him and made him feel better. Slowly she moved her arms, placing them around him and returned the embrace. She blushed brightly, her head even started to feel a bit light like she might faint, but she fought it off as she buried her face more firmly into his shoulder by the base of his neck. "You're welcome Na-Naruto-kun." She said, her soft voice muffled slightly by his jacket.

The clearing of a throat nearby caused them to jump apart like the others touch burned. There faces both flamed bright red as Neji walked into the small clearing. "I hate to interrupt such a touching moment but we need to be returning to our tents Hinata-sama. Your father will worry if we are out much longer." He said as he looked at the two before him, his Byakugan still active and a small smile upon his face.

"Of course Neji-niisan. It was my fault for losing track of time." Hinata replied softly, her cheeks still glowed but her eyes showed her hesitance to leave. She looked over at Naruto for a moment before giving him her farewell. "I am sorry but we must be going now Na-Naruto-kun. I hope we can meet again soon." She said looking him in the eyes.

"Definitely." He said as he watched her turn and start to walk away.

Hinata had almost disappeared into the trees when she turned once again. "Be safe Naruto-kun." She called back before turning and taking the final steps into the undergrowth.

He smiled at the woods where she had disappeared. His smile was warm and real as he returned the farewell to the quiet woods. "You too Hinata. You too." And with that he too left to find his own tent.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! The Bleach/Naruto crossover is out! It's called 'An Unexpected Alliance' :D

Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!

Chapter 2

Naruto trudged through the streets, his hands deep in his pockets.. This part of the business district he was in was almost done thanks to Yamato's wood release, which had been used to frame out the rows of four story buildings. As he worked his way down the street he didn't notice the dozens of shinobi and civilians alike moving around to finish installing windows, doors, plumbing and electricity. If he had bothered to look he would have enjoyed the way the new shops on the ground level were going to look. Large windows looking out onto the street were being installed, large double door entrances were being painted and the doors hung. There were built in benches with large planters evenly spaced down the row waiting for future shoppers to sit and rest. Above the shops would be three stories of apartments. Each one with its own small balcony overlooking the street below. While overall it had a more modern, simplistic feel, Yamato being who he is, couldn't help but add interesting details. Forinstance while the basic shape of the doors being installed was generic, the wood around the door frames themselves had been formed into beautiful, but still simple designs. The same with the planters and benches. They were a mixture of simplistic and traditional at the same time. All in all it was turning out to be quite beautiful as the shop owners started the process of painting, highlighting the small intricate details to make them pop. But Naruto was not noticing any of this, not today anyway.

It was midday and Naruto was headed to find some lunch. Tenchi had, with a lot of long hours and extra hands, just reopened Ichiraku's. His new store front was a little bigger, allowing for a couple of tables to supplement the stools at the counter for larger groups. The menu was limited, currently just miso or chicken ramen with no add ons, but no one really cared at the moment. The stools were temporary wooden ones, the two tables were mismatched and most likely salvaged from the rubble, the storefront itself still hadn't been painted yet, but he had his stove and had gotten a shipment of supplies and water. He was now open only for lunch so that the hard working shinobi and civilians could get a good hot meal, something besides the rations that a lot of them had been living on since the attack. Of course this is where he was headed. He was hoping a hot bowl or two of miso ramen, even if it didn't amount to more than a bowl of noodles and broth at the moment, would pull him out of this strange funk he had found himself in the last couple of days.

It started two days earlier. He had run into team eight when he was headed off to find some dinner and his tent for the night. Akamaru had run over and almost knocked him down in his enthusiasm to say 'hi', much to Kiba's amusement. Shino had been quiet as usual, but had given him a friendly nod in greeting. It had been the sight of Hinata that had choked him up. She was nervously playing with her fingers and looking up at him from under her lashes. She was blushing prettily and even had stuttered out a 'good evening' to him. He had wanted to run over and talk to her, see if she wanted to maybe get some dinner with him, even if dinner was going to consist of rations or a hastily thrown together stew from a friends cook fire. He really wanted to get to know her better, after all they were betrothed now and wasn't that what betrothed couples did? But, like a bucket of ice water being tossed over his head, he had remembered that they had to keep the betrothal secret. He couldn't ask her to have dinner with him. He couldn't just run over and start chatting with her like he wanted to. All he could really do was smile at her, giver her a friendly 'how ya been?' and 'see ya around!' before casually watching them walk off together. It bugged him a lot more than he thought it would.

He had never really thought about getting to know the pretty dark-haired kunoichi before now and was kicking himself for it. She was always so nice to him, even if she was really shy. Why had he overlooked someone so nice? It wasn't like he didn't know she was nice. She had done things periodically over the years for him. From shyly letting him borrow pencils in class when his would mysteriously disappear, of course he had thought her really weird for being nice at the time as he was used to being yelled at by the other girls, to the ointment and words of encouragement during the chunin exams. And he couldn't recall her ever having a harsh word for him either. On the few missions he had been on with her she had never raised her voice in anger at him. Oh sure she scolded him a couple of times, and he would even admit he deserved it too, but event then her voice had not been angry just concerned or worried. All this situation did now was show him how stupidly oblivious he was and it bugged him. Almost as much as not being able to actually get to know her now that he wanted to.

Naruto let out a sigh as he walked, dodging workers at he went. The shifting in the back of his mind was the only warning he got before a low annoyed growl cut into his thoughts.

' **Kit will you stop all this pining for that pale-eyed female before I rip you apart! Dominant male's** _ **don't pine**_ **!'** Kyubi growled.

'Shut up you damn fox! Who say's I'm pining for anyone and what would you care anyway?!' He barked back.

' **Besided the fact that I can** _ **feel**_ **your pathetic emotions and that I have to** _ **live**_ **in your pathetic excuse of a body because of this damn seal? Your stupid** _ **human**_ **emotions are driving me to distraction. I should break out of here and tear her apart just to spite you.'** He snarled.

'Like hell I would let you near her you bastard fox!' Naruto growled, his anger flaring. 'She's done nothing to you! How dare you threaten her!'

Naruto's head rang with the Kyuubi's laughter. ' **Aww, is the little Kit upset that I threatened his female?'**

'I said _SHUT UP_! The day you lay one single claw on anyone I care about is the day I tear _YOU_ apart, _GOT THAT_!' Naruto roared back at the giant fox.

' **I would LOVE to see you try!'** Kyuubi replied before shifting back into dark recesses of his cage and cutting the connection. Content now that he had riled up his container.

"Damn fox!" Naruto grumbled to himself, his mood completely soured by the Kyuubi's taunting.

Finally arriving at Ichiraku's Naruto quickly ducked inside, two chunin passing him on their way out. He smiled and waved at Ayame, who was taking an order down the counter, as he sat at a recently vacated stool. Once she was done Ayame quickly walked over to where he was seated.

"Hey Naruto! Glad to see you in here today! Our menu's a bit limited right now, so we only have miso or chicken ramen, which would you like?" She asked cheerfully.

"Two miso please Ayame-neesan! I'm glad you guys got up and running so fast, y'know!" He replied already feeling a bit better just being there.

"Well we couldn't keep all our loyal customers waiting now could we?" She replied giving him a playful wink. "Two orders of miso for Naruto!" She called back to her father.

"Hey Naruto! Good to see you! How's my favorite customer doing?" Teuchi said as he stuck his head out from the back where he was working.

"Good to see you too! I'm doing alright, been really busy with the rebuilding and everything y'know!" Naruto replied, happy that they both seemed to be in such good spirits.

"I'll have your food up in just a couple of minutes Naruto, alright?" Teuchi called from the back as he moved around filling orders.

"Take your time, I'm not in a rush!" He called back. Truth be told Ichiraku's was one of the few places that he felt at home, and with no apartment to go back to at the moment, he was enjoying the nostalgic feelings that watching Ayame and Teuchi working were giving him. It was also helping to lighten the mood the Kyuubi had put him in as

well.

"Oh Naruto, before I forget" Ayame said as she hurried back over to where he was sitting "one of your friends left this for you. They said to make sure that I gave it to you when I saw you." She said as she handed him a folded piece of paper. "Too bad they didn't stick around they could have given it to you themselves!"

"Who was it?" He asked as he looked at the folded note.

"Oh….what was his name…..he's a Hyuga….and not much older than you…long dark hair and serious..." She said as she thought.

Naruto's head snapped up at the discription. "Neji?" He asked.

"That's it!" She said with a smile. "He doesn't come in here all that much so I can never remember his name." She explained a bit embarrassed. "He left not even two minutes before you walked in."

Naruto looked down at the folded note in his hands and carefully opened it.

 _Meet me at training ground 7 at sunset._

Naruto blinked at the note for a moment before a slight smile formed. ' _Finally.'_ He thought. He could feel his excitement, and a few nerves if he were honest about it, already starting to bubble up.

"So what's it about?" Ayame asked curiously.

"Huh? What the note?" Naruto asked nervously causing Ayame to raise an eyebrow at his behavior. "It's nothing….he just wants to meet to spar later that's all." He said as he rubbed at the back of his head nervously.

"Ayame! Orders ready!" Teuchi called from the back.

"That should be your order Naruto." She said as she moved away. Moments later she was returning with two steaming bowls of miso ramen. "Here you go Naruto, enjoy!" She said as she placed the ramen down in front of the blonde shinobi.

"Alright! Thanks Ayame-neesan!" Naruto said as he eagerly grabbed a pair of chopsticks, giving a quick 'Itadakimasu' as he split them apart and dug into his meal with his usual gusto. Ayame chuckled and shook her head at his antics as she moved off to take care of her other customers.

He reached training ground 7 right at sunset. The woods glowed with the fiery light of the setting sun. It was quite beautiful, but Naruto was not paying attention to the natural beauty of the woods before him, he was too preoccupied with looking for Neji. After a few minutes of fruitless searching he finally spotted him up in a tree staring intently in the direction of Konoha.

Walking up to the base of the tree Naruto called up to him quietly. "Neji?"

Neji put his hand out for a second. "Wait." He said as he continued to stare off at something. After a long tense moment he seemed to visibly relax and hopped down out of the tree. "There was a small group of shinobi near by, a village patrol I think. I was making sure that they were not interested in our section of woods." He explained quietly. "We can't afford to have your meeting be interrupted, comrades or not."

"Yeah, I know." Naruto said as he eyed the woods with interest. "So…..is it safe?" He asked trying to sound casual but failing miserably.

Neji smirked at him before replying. "If it wasn't I wouldn't be standing here talking to you." He said earning a dark look from the blonde. "Go on, she's waiting." He chuckled slightly as Naruto walked eagerly into the woods and with a quick leap he was back into the tree to keep a look out.

He spotted her rather quickly as he moved into the trees. She was leaning against a large maple tree and looking in his direction.

"G-good evening Na-Naruto-kun." Hinata said nervously as he approached.

Stopping a few feet away, Naruto shifted a bit in his own nervous excitement. "H-Hey! Good evening to you too Hinata!" He said with a bit of a chuckle as he rubbed at the back of his head. "How have you been doing?" He asked.

"I-I'm doing well. I am back on duty now with my team." HInata replied shyly. "I-I hope you don't mind but…..I-I brought us some dinner." She said as she turned and picked up a wrapped set of bento's from next to the tree. "I thought you might be hungry after working all day and since we were m-meeting up and everything…" She looked up shyly at him as she went to hand him one. "It's nothing fancy…..just some onigiri and grilled vegetables. But….well….I-I was just thinking it might be n-nice to eat together ….."

Naruto looked at her for a moment, a large smile growing on his face. "Thank you Hinata! You're right, I am a bit hungry." He said with a laugh as his stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. "I ah...had actually wanted to do something like this with you myself." He admitted with a bit of a blush as he took the offered bento. "It's just with having to keep our betrothal secret and all I couldn't really ask or anything."

Hinata smiled shyly at him. "I-It's ok Naruto-kun. What matters is t-that we at least get chances like this to see each other….r-right?"

"Yeah, you're right!" He agreed with a grin. "So let's eat then shall we?" He said as he settled onto the ground. With a quick 'Itadakimasu' they dug in. Naruto was quite impressed with how simple but tasty the food was, and was even more impressed that she had made the bento's herself. Of course he then remembered the onigiri that she had made for them on that one mission when they were kids and how tasty those were too. As they ate Naruto took the opportunity to question her about things, her team, her hobbies, what kind of things she liked to do when she relaxed. He knew that until Baa-chan gave the order his chances to get to know her like this would be few and far between. It didn't take long for them to finish the small meal, but they hardly noticed as they talked about mission's and life in general. Of course all good things must come to an end, and it came too soon for either of them.

"No way! He didn't say that really, did he?!" Naruto exclaimed as he laughed.

"R-really, he did!" Hinata replied with a giggle. "Kiba-kun was really mad that Akamaru had gotten all that sticky stuff on him and was ready to go get a razor and…"

"I am sorry to interupt but Hinata-sama we really should be headed back." Neji said as he appeared out of the dim woods.

"Already? Come on Neji, can't we talk for a little longer?" Naruto asked, playfully whining at him.

"You know as well as I that it is well past moonrise and the village currently has a curfew for all off duty citizens. It will complicate matters if we are caught out here much later than it is now." Neji replied as he continued to scan the area.

"Yeah, yeah….I know." Naruto said with a sigh as he stood up. He turned and offered a hand to Hinata as he spoke. "Well, I guess I will see you around the village then Hinata."

"Yeah." She replied quietly as she took his outstretched hand and stood up herself.

Naruto gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. "Hinata, I...really enjoyed our talk tonight." He said somewhat shyly.

"M-me too." She replied as she blushed prettily.

"Can we meet up again soon?" He asked trying not to sound too hopeful. He really had enjoyed their time together. Who knew she could tell story's almost as well as he could?

"O-Of Course we can Naruto-kun. I will work on getting it arranged." Hinata replied as she started moving forward towards her cousin. "Well...good night Naruto-kun. Besafe." She said as she started to step past him.

Naruto reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her advance. He turned to study her for a moment, taking in how the dappled moonlight danced across her features as she looked up at him curiously. He could feel his heart racing and a lump trying to form in his throat as he went to talk. "Good night Hinata. Besafe." He said in a quiet voice as he let go of her arm. He turned as she moved past, keeping her in sight as she walked away. He watched her until she disappeared into the darker shadows of the woods. A strange new yearning eating at him. He really wished he could be the one walking her home, making sure she arrived safely to the safety of her family. But for now he would have to trust Neji to do his duty to her as her kin to keep her safe.


End file.
